Never Mind the Sex Pistols, Here's the Tribute

(Radical)
by Scott Hefflon

Punk bands covering Sex Pistols' songs? Isn't that what practically all punk records are anyway? Sheeeit... So as ya might expect, the "bigger" names get the bigger songs, and there're some good punk cover bands here covering the standards. While many of these songs have been beaten to death (best when pissed at the club during an encore when they could punkify "We Are the Fuckin' World" and we'd slam into each other cuz we can't stand), a few off The Great Rock and Roll Swindle are good to hear, even though the orchestrated swizz on that record is what iced the cake. "Friggin' in the Riggin'" has always been one of my faves, and Showcase Showdown do what little can be done aside from play and enjoy it. So while most of these broken-glass throated bands simply grunt out the songs with snotty attitude and a sneering lip you could pierce from a room away, well, they're all on this CD. But for my bucks, I'll pull out my shitty cassette copy of the zany Swindle and consider – as I have for ten years – getting the damn thing on CD. Bands faking accents and going "blahhh!" in all the predetermined places: The Booked, LES Stitches, Generators, Submachine, The Krays, I.C.U., Total Chaos, Blanks 77, The Boils, Ducky Boys, Murphy's Law, Road Rage, Lower Class Brats, Malefactors, Billyclub, Niblick Henbane.(www.radicalrecords.com)